Dancing with the Stars pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy received a one-week suspension following an incident involving judge Carrie Ann Inaba. As a result, Chmerkovskiy missed dedication night on Oct. 20. People reported that Chmerkovskiy is the first pro to be suspended in the show’s history.
For context, Chmerkovskiy’s wife and pro dancer, Jenna Johnson, danced a samba routine with her celebrity partner, Harry Shum Jr., during the Super Bowl night episode on Oct. 13. Inaba criticized the dance for needing more samba. Inaba also called out Johnson for choreographing a lift into the routine, which is impermissible in the style. When Johnson questioned the validity of the lift claim, Inaba responded by reading her the definition of a lift. The judges gave the dance three 8s and one 9.
The situation sparked controversy online. Fans debated which lift Inaba was referring to and its legality. Some fans agreed with Inaba’s judgment, while others felt her delivery was disrespectful to Johnson. During an interview, Johnson responded positively to the feedback.
“I think, going into this night, we really wanted to put on like a Super Bowl halftime performance, so we pulled out all the bells and whistles that we needed to,” Johnson said. “But I absolutely hear what they’re saying. Again, this is a competition; there are judges for a reason, they do need to give feedback, so yeah, we will take it.”
After the episode, Chmerkovskiy faced disciplinary action for his comments defending his wife on social media. “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” he said in a post. The comment referred to Will Smith defending his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, from Chris Rock’s jokes about her at the Oscars. Will Smith said to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth and slapped him on stage.
Inaba reposted Chmerkovskiy’s comment on her Instagram and said, “So this is what we are doing now?” Chmerkovskiy publicly apologized to Inaba for the post, saying he hadn’t considered the aggressive intent the reference could imply. However, Chmerkovskiy still faced consequences from BBC Studios.
“Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show,” BBC Studios said in a statement. “As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”
This left Chmerkovskiy’s celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan, to dance her Viennese waltz routine without him, a dance which she dedicated to her mother. The episode didn’t elaborate on the incident, but acknowledged Chmerkovskiy’s absence and that pro Alan Bersten would fill in. Inaba gave Dewan her first 10 of the season, and the other judges awarded the performance 9s. In an interview, Dewan said she and Bersten had about two and a half days to prepare the routine, but Bersten rose to the occasion.
“I think I learned this early on in life, but also especially in our business that the show must go on,” Dewan said. “Sometimes unexpected things happen, and you have to pivot, and then your job is to make the best of that.”
Chmerkovskiy will continue to dance with Dewan for the remainder of the season.